The worst lids for me to open are the bleach bottles. Push down and turn the lids is not as difficult as the seal underneath. I just can't pull that dang tab up to open. I just poke a sharp knife in to get it free.

You've described them perfectly Daisy! I agree with every one of your complaints about annoying packages or containers that require you to reach for your tool kit or destroy the package in order to get at the contents. I keep scissors, bag clips and twists as well as cello tape on top of the fridge as I gave up trying to open things the way they describe on the package.

Also I guess many packages are not meant to be used as containers. I'm thinking of some biscuit boxes which you cannot close once opened. English ladies I know here use metal biscuit tins and dump cookies straight from their package into them and throw away the box. I generally put biscuits or crackers in a plastic bag, tape it shut and put it back in the box so I can recognize the contents.

The worst for me are the child-proof toiletries such as mouthwash or tablets which require you to press down and then turn on the lid in order to open. I don't have small children or grandchildren here in the house so why should I have to struggle and waste my time working at it when the manufacturers could as well sell an un-childproof version so that adults could open without having to reach for their glasses and try to read the instructions somewhere on the bottles of how to open the darn things. I get so mad because time-wasters like that have made me late for appointments, because in the end I've had to go in the toolshed to find a pair of pliers or a wrench to remove the lid LOL.

SharonCb

the cardboard "push here"s usually do me in, the rest, not so much.

I ALWAYS have trouble with inner seals. You know--unscrew the top to the ketchup and then just pull off the inner foil seal. arrrghhh. yes, but first you have to puncture it iwth a sharp pointy object.

some of our gallons of milk have an inner seal, too, but have a handy plastic tab to pull--except I usually pull off the tab and leave the seal still on the milk. I think the worst though, is the brand of milk without the seal. You grab that plastic pull tab on the lid and zip off the collar, except it always pulls the lid off too early and milk gets spilled all over the counter...we go through 5-6 gallons of milk a week, so you think I'd learn by now whcih brands have which type of lid...

Nancy

Amen! I think these annoyances get worse as we get older - I know that is true with me. Even worse than the "push here" on the laundry detergent is the plastic bubble encasing the item that I need to get out. Arrrrggghhh! And getting the film off the CD case - no wonder people are downloading music...it's too hard to get the CD out of the freakin' case.

LOL Teresa!

SharonCb

I'm glad others have the same problems as I with the stupid, stupid "easy open" packages!

One particular irritation for me are the bags/sacks that are sewn shut. Presumably, if one pulls on just the right string in just the right way, the whole thing unravels, quick as you please, and you have a neatly opened bag of cat food, rice, sugar, whatever.

I think it's a plot. They let you open one in...oh say, 30 that way, so that the other 29, that you end up having to tear open with your teeth because you can't find a pair of scissors and are too frustrated for it to occur to you that you own plenty of knives, make you feel like a moron because you did it wrong again!

Oh Rachel that is so funny. I've always had that problem with those sewn up catfood bags! Just pull on the string, which looks like what is intended, and the whole bag rips across the top and those little hard brown nibbles are all over the floor (brown carpet) waiting for you to step on them in your bare feet! Or else cut across the top with the scissors and the same thing happens. LOL.

SharonCb

Getting those child-proof caps open is easy for my dog -- he just chomps down on the bottle and the cap props off. We have three trips to the emergency room vet (and the attendent costs) to prove it. He's pretty big so the meds now go way up high.

I was just saying to my DH the other day, as I struggled to open a package, that the guy that tampered with the Tylenol way back when sure did change our lives. Before that, packages were easy to open. I really think manufacturers have way over compensated.

The one that bugs me the most is the plastic bags that tear apart when you try to open them. There's no solution I've thought of other than to have a spare bag to put the contents into after the original bag has fallen apart.

Sally

And that precious package containing precisely 11 teeny pretzels on airplanes. Last time I flew, we were delayed because thee quipment hadn't arrived, we were instructed not to leave the area as they would do a fast turn around once the plane does get there...and you were going to have a slightly late dinner once you arrived at your destination.
Finally the equipment arrives, you board, it takes off and once it reaches altitude, the attendants begin to serve a "beverage" and after an hour, they finally get to your seat and toss a bag of teeny pretzels at you.....and you they fly all over when you try to get that bag open! I would use the teeny scissors on my Swiss Army knife but they confiscated that at the gate!
Linda C

I'll add another to the list: fresh crabmeat packed in a plastic container with a zipper tab that immediately breaks off, or no tab at all. Impossible! You can't even lift the lid a little and pry it open. I've sometimes resorted to cutting out a circle of plastic in the middle of the lid and then spooning out the contents!

I've had a fear (phobia?) of pull-tab cans since childhood, when I cut my hand badly on one. I think that is why I didn't drink beer in college. Nowadays, I try to choose brands of canned soups, tomato sauce, etc, that have the regular top that a can opener can open, but sometimes a favorite brand goes over to the "dark side," so I give the pull-top a try. I'm still no good at it. I bought a little hook-tool that's supposed to help, but it still requires the same physical strength and dexterity to do the pulling.

I think the string-top bags are sewn for the manufacturers' convenience, not the consumer's. I usually cut them with kitchen scissors, stitch by stitch, from between the two sides, until I have an opening big enough to pour from.

Sue

How about the cans that don't have pull tabs? The ones that you're meant to use a can opener on but for some reason, the can opener just doesn't work properly, denting up the edge so that you end up having to pry and twist it off?

And then there are the bags of snacks you buy on a road trip (so you don't have scissors) that can't be pulled open by hand, so you try to start them with your teeth but they've been somehow rubberized so they just s t r e t c h!

At least we don't have to put up with the old key-opened metal cans today (coffee and sardines, to name two). I still have the reminder on my right thumb where I cut out a chunk trying to open a coffee can.

I had a large jar of pickle relish that gave me fits the other night. I have always had a strong grip and decent muscles, so most of the time I get the hard to open job. Anyway, that jar lid would not budge. I ran it under hot water, used a wet dishcloth, tried a round rubber jar opener I had in the drawer and even got out the hammer to ping on it. Nothing worked. Then I found an old fashioned can opener that had a pointed fish hook type cutout (best I know how to describe it) and tried to pry up the edge of the lid. Finally the seal loosened and I was successful. The lid was demolished, so I had to find another container to store it in. I was ready to just throw the whole jar away but I really did want some relish.

Nancy

When a screw-on lid is hard to open, Nancy et al., turn the jar upside-down and holding the jar firmly in your hand, give it a hard knock - lid top flat, contact with countertop - do a second time if needed. Works 99 times out of 100 for me.

Good timing on the post. I got a double whammy this week. I'd bought a bottle of soy sauce. The outer cap has the plastic ring with the tab on it. Hard to grasp, but got that off. Flipped open the cap and discovered a plastic ring tab pull on the inside. Darn thing broke off at first pull and left me with about 1/100th of an inch plastic piece that I might be able to pull on IF I go buy needlenose pliers. To boot, the whole cap is molded to the bottle, so no way to unscrew it and pour that way. Major overcompensation, if you ask me.

Earlier this evening I opened a new movie, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, and to took over 10 minutes and required scissors. At least it came from Amazon so it didnÂt have the hard plastic outer bubble thing that requires gloves and a chain saw. Great movie by the way but I guess it shows my age.

I carry scissors in my car in case I get the munchies on the way home from shopping. I also hate the cans with pull tops. I can do it now but I know my mother couldnÂt when she was in her late 70s. I agree the Tylenol guy really changed everything.

One time I took a can of stain back to our local hardware store and told them to either open it for me or give me my money back. Now I have DH open a new one before the old one is empty and he takes the inner plastic cap thing out so itÂs just the metal cap and you donÂt have to push down and twist.

Claudia

I love that movie Claudia! It really is so very funny.
If I ever start a home movie DVD collection, that one will be included.
Cary Grant is great!

SharonCb

Sue, try opening the bottom of those cans with a can opener, and just skip the pull tab tops. I don't know if the shape of the bottom of the cans would allow it, but I know I've accidentally opened upside down cans before. Might be worth a try.

For bottles with skrew-on lids, like pickle bottles, I've done something similar to what Teresa said, only I've rapped the side of the lid on the counter or other hard surface. It really does work.

Sally

I remember one time travelling in Spain, We were here and there and for the 2nd week we rented a villa, and as we were grocery shopping we thought it would be nice to have our own bottle of Scotch.
well.....do you think we could open that thing? We got the foil stuff off the bottle, but under that there was a gizmo with a marble like thing sort of like a roll on deodorant blttle....it wouldn't pour! Finally we had to totally destroy the ball thingy and there was no cap...
Anyhow, what could we do? We drank the whole thing!!
Never did find out how those bottles should be worked....sort of like European toilets..."Where's the flusher?"...found one once that was across the room. Luckily the hostess told me about it as I entered!
Linda C

Linda, maybe you were supposed to roll the scotch onto each other and lick it off? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Those letter openers that have the pointed end you slip under the flap and then a razor cuts the envelope (OK, not the best description) work great on bags. I found one with a magnet on it, so that stays on the fridge. And Jessy was kind enough to send me a "jar popper" that works for more jars. So now I'm down to struggling with jarred pasta sauce and soy sauce. ;)

Oh Lord, please delivery me from Child Proof caps AND Easy Open packages...

I've fought with each and everyone of those mentioned... I'll never buy anything with a pull tab lid unless it can be opened from the bottom with an electric can opener ( got one stuck on my finger and had to have it cut off, the ring, not my finger )... Pull the string on a bag of bird seed... Nope, never again in the house... The string was longer than my arm and I let go of the bag to finish pulling the string.... Forty pounds of tiny bird seed all over the kitchen ( carpeted ) floor... Thankfully I no longer have a problem with jars now thanks to Jar Pop.

As for Child proof containers... Jugs of off brand bleach with the plastic/paper/foil "Safety" seal AFTER to wrestle with the child proof cap... No tab to grab ( even if you could manage to grab it ), tried lifting the edge with the pliers with no luck, grabbed the utility scissors and jammed it in to the opening --- bleach splashed in my eye and on my clothes ( no permanent damage. to eye )...

How about the boxes of cereal with the welded shut plastic liner that's an inch shorter than the box and solidly glued to the bottom of the box.

But the absolute worse... Prescription medicine blister packs... Used to be you could run your thumb nail around the pill on the back of the pack... Not any longer, you have to pull off the foil backing, fight with the soft plastic liner and use a knife to cut into the last layer of paper/plastic... All this with something smaller than your thumb nail!

Oh wait, there was one time the slow witted pharmacy helper gave me the pain medication, for my severely sprained and unmovable wrist in a Child Proof container AFTER I told her not too.... It's been on my chart since them came out the &^%$@ things.

Rita

Rita ... the jar pop didn't work for me. Maybe I'll look for your brand.
Sometimes, I take a table knife and push the end under the cap and it releases the pressure and the jar then opens. I have resorted to poking an ice pick through the top with a hammer, thus releasing the pressure.
I do think they're out to get us... so many of the pull top cans have rounded bottoms and a regular can opener can't bite in.
And I've used a church key on many a can. One piercing on each side if the contents are liquid ... many piercings if the contents are thicker.
LindaC -- hope that marble wasn't glass.

Yup Linda I'm familiar with those roller ball inserts in the liquor bottles. The purpose of those is so that bars can't refill the bottle with a cheaper homebrew version of the liquor and then put it on the shelf and serve it as the real thing. I think brandy bottles still use them, but it's been so long since I bought a bottle of brandy I'm not sure. You have to hold the bottle in a completely upright position and give it a shake to get the liquor to start pouring. I guess they didn't tell you about that when you bought it LOL. They are maddening though, especially when the stuff suddenly comes gushing out before you've aimed it over the glass.

SharonCb

I had a bottle of Lysol bathroom cleaner that the spray failed on and I ended up pouring some on a sponge to clean the shower stall. Then the Lysol toilet cleaner (new bottle) wouldn't come open, no matter how I tried, until it popped open getting bleach on my handtowel and down the front of my tee shirt. I e-mailed Lysol, telling them I wouldn't be using their products until they improved the packaging, so what did the company do? They sent me COUPONS FOR REPLACEMENT PRODUCTS! Sometimes I wonder . . . .
Why do manufacturers think they have to give manual dexterity tests to their customers?

Oh, Marlingardener, you reminded me of products with pump dispensers that don't work. That's so frustrating. I've had to pour the contents of hair gunk into other bottles just so I could use the stuff. Same with hand lotion. It's so frustrating. I guess that's straying from cooking stuff, but, oh, well.

Sally

This is so funny!! I have to share my recent incident...
You know those little(sort of flat)plastic bottles of insect repellent, the ones that leak all over your hands when you try to spray it? Well, I thought I'd just pour the latest bottle into an older spray bottle that actually works...AND THE LID WOULDN'T COME OFF!!! I twisted and pulled, all the while that stuff was coming out from under the lid getting all over my hands! I finally found some sharp pointy thing in my DH's tools and poked a hole in the stupid bottle, and finally got what was left into my working spray bottle.

Another frustration is the little plastic pull tab on frozen juice containers(the cardboard ones). I can't seem to grip them anymore, so I keep some needle-nosed pliers in the kitchen drawer(if I use my teeth DH will scold me).

This was a GREAT idea for a thread, and well said. I'll add my "here, hear!" on taking a pickle jar, turning it upside down and rapping it on the floor or countertop - it loosens it enough for me to get it open. I learned that trick back in my "Navy wife of a deployed sailor" days, and still use it!

As for the blister packs - one of DH's medications just switched from a bottle of pills to a blister pack. He took the old bottle, undid EVERY one of those 30 blisters, and plopped the pills into the old bottle. I had to give him credit - he said a little bit of frustration one day would save him a LOT of frustration at bedtime, other days!

DonnaR/CA

It sounds as if we all have the same complaints. Now how do we get these gripes to the manufacturers?

Good thread, Daisy.

I agree with all of these. To the list, I would add zipper packages of deli meats and cheese slices. If you tear or cut on the line they provide, that gives you only about 0.25 inches of plastic to try to pry open, especially if you have mayo or the slightest bit of oil on your fingers.

Another one - electronics or anything that comes hermetically sealed in hard plastic. It's dangerous, and I've broken scissors trying to open the stuff. My solution now is bolt cutters; try 'em - you won't go back to scissors.

Virginia, I use tin snips... lol

Kayskats, I think I got it at Linen N Things... Or it may have been Bed, Bath & Beyond... I'm pretty sure it only cost a dollar or two...

Rita

Oh I feel the pain on every post here.

I hate the plastic thing they use to form a 6 pack of 16.9 oz diet cokes. There are little tabs but if you keep the cokes in the fridge, the tabs are too slippery to grab onto to pull. Plus if you do pull it, it breaks off before the cokes are released. I end up taking sissors and cutting each band off the cokes.

I say lots of bad words lately trying to open things in the kitchen.

The boxes with the "lift here" tab. Ha! What a joke, the carboard tab comes off every stinkin time.

I find the older I get, the weaker I'm getting as far as opening jars go. I actually sprain my wrist sometimes opening a jar. Then it takes a few days for it to feel better.

Good thread.

Then there was the blister pack where trying to open it caused the pill to crumble to powder no matter how careful I tried to be. How's that for effective dosage?

I once spent almost an hour on the Internet tracing a prescription skin cream and lotion manufacturer to complain about their !@#$ packaging. The cream version was very thick and didn't flow. It came in a stiff-sided plastic bottle which couldn't be squeezed enough to force it out. The lotion version came with a pump that was boxed with the handle depressed, without directions, and which would not pop out no matter what I tried. When unscrewed, the tube carried with it far more of the cream than needed for one dose. Nor could the tube be easily removed.

Their response was to refund one copay, but the refills are still just as bad. Fortunately, while I had the pump out spilling the lotion I somehow managed to get it to pop up (still don't know how I did it) and I've been transferring that pump to each successive bottle. It's certainly not sterile, aargh.